Asian Heritage Month

Chinatowns are under threat of disappearing - and along with them, the rich history of communities who fought for a place to belong. Montreal filmmaker Karen Cho explores the efforts to save Chinatowns in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and New York.

Filmmaker Keira Loughran and Helen Lee examine the legacy of their grandmothers - women of indomitable spirit who fought against Canada’s anti-Chinese immigration laws. The film highlights the resilience and contributions of the Chinese Canadian community.

Two doctors share their stories of displacement during the Second World War - Henry Shibata, a Japanese Canadian born in Vancouver, and Stuart Cooper Robinson, a Canadian born in Nagoya, Japan. Through their contrasting experiences, the film explores what it means to find home.

Designer and chef Jackie Kai Ellis takes a delicious journey to small-town Chinese restaurants in BC and Alberta. She explores Chinese Canadian history, gets a taste of kitchen table wisdom and cooks recipes inspired by the comfort food of her past.

Established in 1992, Canada’s Live-In Caregiver Program spurred a wave of immigration from the Philippines. North Vancouver filmmaker Thea Loo takes a deeply personal look at the lingering toll of this flawed immigration pathway that kept so many Filipino children from their mothers.

In 1914, the Komagata Maru arrived in Vancouver carrying immigrants from British India but was refused permission to land. Toronto filmmaker Ali Kazimi chronicles this infamous incident and its devastating aftermath.

Vancouver filmmaker Julia Kwan captures the subtle nuances of a culturally diverse neighbourhood - Vancouver's Chinatown. Community members offer their intimate perspectives on the shifting landscape as they reflect on change, memory and legacy.

Amy Tan’s first novel, The Joy Luck Club, established her as a leading literary voice. Using home movies, photographs, animation and original interviews, this vivid, colourful portrait takes us on journey through Tan’s inspiring life and career.

Vancouver filmmaker Baljit Sangra turns her lens on an Indo-Canadian family in small-town BC coming to terms with a devastating secret: three sisters were sexually abused by an older relative. After remaining silent for over two decades, they decide to come forward.

In the early 1900s, Japanese Canadian photographer Senjiro Hayashi took images of people of every race, class and gender in Cumberland, BC. Almost a century later the photos were found and exhibited, showcasing a part of BC’s history that is rarely seen.